


All the Devils are Here

by TheShadowOfTheFlame



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Male Character, Death Rituals, Demons, Devils, F/F, F/M, Hell, Investigations, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Police, Rituals, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:53:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27650933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShadowOfTheFlame/pseuds/TheShadowOfTheFlame
Summary: A policeman knocks on Alina's door informing her that her husband, Malyen Oretsev, was found brutally murdered just a few hours ago.But there is only one problem.Mal is in the kitchen making dinner.
Relationships: Genya Safin & Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev/Alina Starkov, Nikolai Lantsov & Alina Starkov, The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov
Comments: 24
Kudos: 48





	All the Devils are Here

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know. I have to continue the other fanfics (And I'm going to!!), but I can't avoid having new ideas!  
> It might contain grammatical errors. I have spent almost the whole afternoon writing (or looking at the screen) and I am tired.  
> Good reading <3

Alina sighed, letting her backpack and shopping bags fall on the table with a not-so-soft noise.

Teaching was already stressful. Staying six hours teaching a bunch of noisy kids was a thousand times more stressful.

It's not as if she didn't like her work, but she didn't love him either.

But now she was finally home, and could relax with her husband Mal. After saving all the new food she bought on the market. She was missing eating macaroni.

"Mal?" Alina called out loud after taking the groceries in her hands, going to the kitchen to put them away. She left some things in the refrigerator, and others in the cupboards stuck to the kitchen wall.

She was hungry, and couldn't stand it any longer.

Alina took a big red apple and took a bite, chewing when she realized her husband had not answered her call.

She frowned. It was not like Mal to not answer her calls.

Alina began to walk, still with the apple in her hand, to Mal's office. He should have been there, he hardly ever left that room.

The blonde opened the wooden door with her free hand, being immediately surrounded by drawings of house plans. Occasionally, one or other random drawing would appear.

She looked at the table full of papers. Empty.

Okay, time to start panicking.

She never left without leaving a message, or even a note glued to the kitchen counter, telling what time she'd arrive and where she'd gone.

Dropping the apple on a shelf in the office, Alina directed a trembling hand into her pocket, reaching for her mobile phone.  
Mal's number was already in the favorites, along with Genya's.

She clicked on the number, waiting for him to answer while the call rang.

"Come on, you big imbecile..." She murmured, impatiently and in panic, rhythmically beating her leg to the ground.

Almost a minute later, Alina gave up, clicking the big red button on the screen.

She looked around and bit the tip of her thumbnail, not knowing what to do.

A million scenarios began to pass in her head. He had barely been run over, or someone had hurt him so much that he had to go to the hospital, or even been killed by a serial killer in a dark alley.

She again put the mobile phone in her pocket, determined to go to every possible place she could find it. But when she put her hand on the door handle, it was opened by none other than Malyen Oretsev.

"Mal?" Alina whispered, scared.

"Alina!" Her husband smiled - that same smile that made her fall in love when she was just a teenager -, leaning over to kiss her, but Alina was quicker to slap him on the face. He barely had him head thrown to the side, automatically putting her hand in the sore spot. "Ouch! What's that for?"

"You idiot!" She screamed. "You just disappeared, without warning or anything! You got me worried, asshole!"

Mal's face was frustrated, with a layer of sadness erasing any trace of happiness there.

"Oh" he said "I'm sorry, Alina. I really am. Alexei was having problems at the company and I had to run to help him. A really big project was cancelled at the last minute. I'm sorry, my love."

"Oh" now it was her who was feeling bad. Alina sniffed slightly. "I think I understand your point. I'm sorry too."

He barely smiled softly, approaching and putting a kiss on top of her wife's head, pulling her into a hug.

"It's all right, darling." After a few seconds in silence in that position, he adds, "It was a beautiful slap"

"It was, wasn't it?" Alina laughs, freeing herself from her husband's embrace. She pulled him by the hands to the kitchen, smiles adorning their faces. "Now come. You'll make me a good old macaroni."

"Any special occasion I forgot?" He asked, raising a funny eyebrow.

Alina shook her head, her stomach almost snoring when she saw him grab a pot and light the fire.

"Just my hunger."

"Okay, my love" he let out another laugh, going to the wardrobe to get the pasta packet. "How was your day?"

Alina snorted, sitting on the chair in front of the counter.

"The same old thing. John pulled Kate's braids to get her attention. I still think they'll both date when they're older." The blonde said in a confident tone of voice that made her husband smile.

"It was like that with us." She barely said it, blinking an eye.

"Yes, but for some reason, I always liked you." She rolled her eyes.

"My unimaginable beauty helped with that" he moved his brown hair in a nonexistent wind.

Alina rolled her eyes again.

"So unimaginable it's hard to see."

Before he could hardly speak anything with his false indignation - already present in the way he opened his mouth and widened his eyes slightly - the noise of someone knocking on the front door could be heard, causing them both to look at the door.

A few seconds later, they knocked on the door again.

"I'll answer it, keep making the food." Alina nodded to Mal, getting up from the chair and going to the door.

It was strange. Nobody ever came to their house without warning. Well, sometimes Genya would come suddenly with a new makeup to test in Alina, but it was rare. Not really. Once a week at least, but she had spent yesterday in the house.

Alina turned the knob, listening behind her as soon as she continued cooking, and opened the door. 

Facing a man she had never seen before.

He had blond hair like gold and eyes as brown as bitter chocolate, but all she could notice was the police uniform and badge saying 'Nikolai Lantsov' and 'Ravka Civil Police'.

"Mrs. Alina Starkov Oretsev?" the man asked as soon as she opened the door.

"It's me." Alina replied, nervous. She mentally reviewed all the things she did that could be considered the least bit illegal. Stealing the church's wine stock after completing her confirmation when she was 15 could not be considered a crime, could it?

The man made an almost imperceptible face. By the way he was looking anywhere but at her, Alina could conclude that Nikolai Lantsov did not want to be here.

"I am Nikolai Lantsov, deputy of the civil police, and I have come to give you some unfortunate news." He tidied up his posture, leaving his back straight and looking straight into his eyes.

Alina's blood froze, as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water at her. A bad feeling coming from inside her being consumed her body. Alina only had this feeling once, and it was a few hours before her parents died in the car accident that changed her life. She was too young to remember everything, so the blonde only remembered that feeling. And she must have shown her fear somehow, as Nikolai looked away quickly once again.

"What is it?"

The deputy cleared his throat, showing clear discomfort.

"Your husband, Malyen Oretsev, was found dead on the main bridge of Os Alta."

Alina was surprised, rolling her eyes slightly. Certainly not what she expected.

"That is impossible."

Nikolai seemed to say something, but he gave up. Instead, he spoke:

"But it's the truth, madam. I'm very sorry for the loss."

"That's impossible." Alina repeated, this time more confident. "Mal's in the kitchen making dinner."

Deputy Lantsov opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Her eyes widened, her mouth still open.

"The fingerprints indicated it was your husband, madam."

"Alina, please."

"Alina" he corrected himself.

"Who is it, love?" Mal appeared right behind his wife, wiping his hand on a dishcloth. In another situation, Alina would have reprimanded him for it, but she was still shocked by the event.

Lantsov was again stunned, looking between the two. Alina was worried that some insect would enter the deputy's mouth if he continued like this.

"Officer." Mal looked at him strangely, the usual smile wiping off her face. "Is there a problem?"

"N-not exactly." The deputy stuttered slightly, then recovered his posture. He stuck his hand in his uniform, pulling out a piece of paper and giving it to Alina. "Here's my card. Call if you need anything. I'll call you in a few days when we have the autopsy of the body".

"Thank you, Deputy Lantsov." Alina took the card, keeping it in the pocket of her jeans.

"Nikolai." He corrected it, leaving without waiting for confirmation.

"Body?" Mal barely whispered scared.

"Yes" Alina turned to look him in the face.

"Who was killed?"

Alina's brown eyes glowed as she stared into the blue of her husband's eyes.

"You"

He barely had a laugh. The same one that he gave in every tense situation, Alina could recognize.

"What?" he asked, incredulous.

"That's exactly what you heard." She went back to the kitchen, knowing that she would be followed by the brunette. "He came to inform me of his death."

"That's... ridiculous." And Mal started laughing. Laughing really, willingly and loudly. Alina couldn't stand it, seeing her husband laughing so hard, she started laughing too.

It's been a long time since the two of them laughed that way, as if they were still two teenagers with no worries about adult life and nothing but both.

"Yes, it is." Alina wiped a tear in the corner of her eye. "I hope you're ready now, I'm starving."

Mal smiled, going to reach the plates. 

What Alina never saw was the shadow that passed over Mal's face, and him blue eyes momentarily turning into a pair of gray eyes like the sky before a storm.


End file.
